As I write this, I realize it’s the anniversary of the day when I bought my first home, and I’m taken back to the surreal feeling I had then, not only because I was becoming a homeowner for the first time, but also because the home itself was so different than anything I could ever have imagined living in, let alone purchasing. Built in 1929, this Colonial beauty, sitting up on a corner demanding attention, stole my heart the moment I saw it. I’m someone who literally dreams of living in an all-glass, tri-level penthouse with nothing in it but a green apple and a massive TV, so the fact that this structure, straight out of the Norman Rockwell Dream Home Collection, caught my eye so instantly was stunning; I knew it was game over and I had to get it. So I did.
Growing up in Miami during the period when an impossibly modern/hip aesthetic was on display each week on the hot, new TV series Miami Vice, I got hooked on the sleekness and coldness of glass and steel edifices. Design mattered to me then, and it does now.
I’ve been fortunate to live in some of this country’s most beautiful and exciting cities—Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami Beach, New York City, Southampton and, of course, Saratoga Springs—and have lived in all kinds of homes, from a minimalist luxury condo to an overstuffed (charming) ramshackle cabin. And one thing remains the same: Where I live impacts how I live. Just this week, I moved in to my newest crib, a large apartment in the heart of Downtown Saratoga, and all of those feelings I associate with the best living situations came roaring back—excitement, connectedness, fulfillment. As I fill the empty rooms with pieces that reflect who I am this time around, I have the added bonus that I now get to walk to work. Win-win.
When I initially showed my parents a photo of that first house I fell hard for, they started laughing simultaneously. The pretty house with so much curbside appeal that I fell head-over-heels in love with in a flash was apparently an exact replica of my childhood home in Boston. I mean, exact replica. And it now makes sense why this particular house had me at “Hello.”
Saratoga has the luck (and luxury) of offering the best of both worlds—massive, majestic mansions more than a century old and built-yesterday modern boxes in which to experience city life at its finest. I, too, have the best of both worlds. I told you I was fortunate. Love where you live, indeed.
Richard Pérez-Feria
Editor in Chief
@RPerezFeria
